Quick Fics
by nat-chan
Summary: A series of oneshots for a blast of WAFF in the humdrummety of your day
1. 1 No Way

Quick Fics: A Serious of One-Shots by:

the nat-chan

#1. No Way

rated: sugary goodness of waff G

disclaimer: I can't believe I'm writing a brand new, original, SM Fanfic!

This is all Alicia's fault!

e-mail: natalie. notes: while I don't want to participate in the official drabbles on a

theme contest that Alicia is currently partaking in...one of her shorts in particular

inspired me to do my own little collection. I hope you enjoy them!

* * *

_whose is the face in the mask?_

* * *

Serena woke from her dream with a scream of horror. Her wide eyes

blinked rapidly to assure herself that what she had just seen had in fact

been merely a dream.

Her breathing was harsh, her hands balled the sheets and her hair was

in dizzying disarray.

That same nightmare again. She'd been having it every night since

Sunday. The Sunday she had foolishly let herself pray for something

she had longed to know for months. With the holidays approaching she

had thought it might be ok to ask for just one really important thing.

And a week prior to that she had fought a youma and narrowly

escaped its clutches by a daring sweep from Tuxedo Mask. He had

caught her up in his arms and carried her to safety only to be blasted

at again by the youma forcing him to throw them both to the ground.

And it was lying tangled up together on the ground, his breathing

harsh and close that she first felt that pang of familiarity. It had haunted

her for days afterwards and then she had realized, maybe Tuxedo

Mask was someone she already knew! Maybe he was someone

she liked in real life as well and who liked her too!

This thought had given her so much happiness that by Sunday it

had become her Christmas wish. She had gone to church with

her family and prayed with all her heart to know, who was Tuxedo

Mask?

Fate it seemed, had a cruel sense of humour because every night

since then she had dreamed of the handsome hero, dashing in,

sweeping her off her feet to some secluded, moonlit place and

telling her she was the only one for him. Every time like a fool she

would practically swoon and then lift gentle hands to pull off the

mask. And he would let her.

And every time the man behind the mask was...Darien Shields.

This was what prompted the blood curdling shriek that woke her

out of her stupor and back to reality.

"Thanks." she would mutter heavenward with bitterness. She

asked for a dream come true and instead got a nightmare.

No WAY was Darien Shields of all people Tuxedo Mask!

He was opposite to him in every possible way.

She would quickly list all the differences to firmly convince herself.

A girl could never be TOO certain when it came to Darien Shields.

For starters Tuxedo Mask was handsome. Darien Shields was

far far too evil to be considered even remotely attractive.

Tuxedo Mask wore a heavenly black tuxedo. Darien Shields

wore a green blazer that could never, under any circumstances

be considered heavenly in any way.

Tuxedo Mask always saved her from calamity and danger.

Darien Shields always showed up just AFTER a calamity

to laugh at her or taunted her into further disaster.

Tuxedo Mask said encouraging things to her at just

the right moments. Darien Shields did the exact opposite.

No, they just could not be the same people. She loved

Tuxedo Mask and despised Darien Shields. And that was

as it should be.

This theory began to slowly unravel that week though

as little tiny insignificant details began to present

themselves to the contrary.

Like the day she overheard Andrew agonizing over

what to bring to the airport to give Rita when she

came back into town and heard Darien suggest

roses.

Or the afternoon she caught him helping Andrew

sweep up between rushes and when he was done

watched him toss the short broom he had been

using with perfect, uncanny grace, back to its

place by the back garbage can.

Darien couldn't figure out what was the matter with her.

She'd been getting quieter and quieter all week. Thursday

she had walked in on him reading the paper with his glasses

on and when he had pulled them off to look at her she had

let out a half-frightened sound and bolted back out the doors.

The final straw for Serena was when Andrew installed a

dart board at the back of the arcade and she came in to find he

and Darien playing. Darien had hit three perfect bullseyes in a row,

his fingers tossing the darts with ease and...she had blanched

and left again.

Friday another youma attacked and once destroyed it

managed to explode in such a fashion that she was

saved again by Tuxedo Mask's clever catch and run.

He righted her a short distance away and turned to go

but she caught his arm, her eyes searching his face

with a half-fearful look instead of the glazed appreciation

he usually saw.

"What is it?" he asked with concern.

"Tuxedo Mask...do you--do you like my hair?"

She'd been thinking it over all week and thought, if she

was going to trip him up, this would be the way to do it.

Her hair was his one weakness.

Tuxedo Mask's eyes widened and he looked

distinctly uncomfortable as his eyes slid up to

her buns and then back to her face.

"I-I don't have any particular feelings either way

about your hair," he replied, "It's your skills as

a warrior I'm interested in."

To his surprise she broke into a wide smile.

"Keep fighting Sailor Moon, you are becoming

a great Warrior!" He smiled back and gave her

a charming wink of encouragement before

dashing off again.

"Thanks!" she said waving as he departed.

She was sure this absolute proof would dispel

the horrid dream. But it did not.

Night after night she pulled off that mask with

dreamy anticipation and night after night it was

wretched Darien Shields staring back at her.

She was utterly miserable.

But it was the afternoon before the Christmas

Party at the Arcade to raise money for the local

orphanage that finally did Serena in.

Darien had arrived early to help Andrew set up

and greet the local talents that were going to perform.

He knew he wouldn't get home again and so

had come dressed for the evening in, you guessed

it, a black tuxedo.

Serena showed up in jeans and a sweatshirt to help

out for an hour before heading home. She walked

in and stopped short. Both Andrew and Darien wore

black tuxedos but she did not see Andrew.

She saw only Darien Shields, in a heavenly black

tuxedo, and--were those ROSES he was decorating

with?

Darien turned to see her white, frozen face before

she suddenly pointed at him and yelled, "NO! NO!

NO WAY! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"

Then she sprinted out of the arcade at top speed.

All the way home fuming in her mind:

'Wasn't I good ALL year? I'm defending the world

from the forces of evil here! What did I do to

deserve this torture?"

Darien didn't see Serena again until much later

when she was chosen from the crowd by the Mayor

to help light the tree.

It was a beautiful tree, quite tall, and covered in

white lights that had not yet been plugged in.

Patrons had hung their donations in white envelopes

from the branches of that tree. They would be

collected later.

Serena and the Mayer brought up the electric plugs

together and then, with a buzzing sound, the tree

lit up in a dazzling display that made everyone ooh

and ahhh.

Darien strained his head over the crowd to see her

but she was silhouetted by the blinding light. He

was hoping the excitement of being chosen to

light the tree would make her act normal again

but then she turned, just a half-turn in that light

and her face came into view. For a moment

it looked serious and distant. For a moment

her white dress and the beads in her hair

caught the light like diamonds. For a moment

she looked remarkably like a very familiar and

haunting presence in his dreams.

Andrew watched all the colour drain from Darien's

face and heard him mutter, "No way..."


	2. 2 Confession

#3. Confession

Author: nat-chan

Rated: Oh-so-very-G

E-mail: natalie. http/oceansofnat. Notes: You should listen to the song "She Loves You (Yeah Yeah Yeah)

when you read this fic

* * *

She said you hurt her so

She almost lost her mind

But now she says she knows

You're not the hurtin' kind

She loves you

And you know that can't be bad

She loves you

And you know you should be glad

* * *

She hesitated, taking so long to gather her thoughts

and react and look up at him that he realized he'd held

his breath too long and tried to subtly blow it out the side

of his mouth without her noticing.

"I-I don't believe you." she said shakily and he cursed his

best friend for convincing him this was a good idea.

"You're just trying to get me to let my guard down and then

you'll go right back to teasing me."

His face pinched with a half-desperate look then as he

tried to think of a way out now that he was in too deep.

But then he realized. She hadn't said it angrily or even

as though she were completely convinced.

Her voice had been feeble as though the last of her

defenses were crumbling. He felt a kindling of hope.

"I'm really, honestly not." he said earnestly and dared

to reach over and take the tips of her fingers in his own

making her eyes widen and lock onto his.

He silently blessed his best friend for convincing him

this was a good idea.

"You really mean it?" she said quietly, her expression

slowly unfolding from fear to something that traveled

up his spine like a cool, exciting scream.

All he could do was nod vigorously, his hand going

numb from holding it so absolutely still around her

fingertips.

"But, I don't understand. All you've ever done is

make fun of me! Every time you saw me you had

some new insult! I thought you hated me!"

_And I thought I hated you._ She added silently to herself.

"I only did it because I--I wanted to talk to you so

much." He said with a very red face, "I didn't know

what to say. I thought you might not like me."

She just stared at him in shock.

"But, you seemed to LIKE teasing me! You

always laughed and laughed!"

And now his face finally broke into a crooked,

guilty grin, "Well it WAS a lot of fun! You

always came up with the most hilarious

come-backs and..." he faltered and looked

embarrassed again, "You look really cute

when you're angry."

She blushed and looked into his eyes, then at

his own red cheeks and finally started to believe him.

He watched her, waiting for some reaction, some

sign that she might possibly feel the same way in

return. He was so nervous he heard himself

keep talking--unsure anymore of what he was

saying, fairly sure he had just listed off everything

he USED to tease her about as virtues instead

of vices.

Finally Darien could take it no more. He stood up

from his stool at the bar, abandoning his coffee

and marched over to the booth where the couple

were sitting and having their humiliating confess-out

in full public hearing and said desperately,

"Oh buddy will you PLEASE shut-up! You are single-

handedly RUINING MY LIFE!"

The tall, blonde-haired fellow stopped mid-stream

of flattery and simply gaped at Darien who was

looking half-furiously, half-desperately between him

and something off to the left.

The girl was staring at Darien too and her hand was

still in the blonde-haired fellow's, just at the fingertips.

Darien looked from the two of them to the

Meatballhead sitting two tables over with her

friends and prayed that she hadn't heard a

word of their "conversation" then turned tail

and bolted out of the arcade leaving Andrew

laughing so hard he had to lean on the

counter for support.

Serena's friends were still chattering happily,

oblivious to the way their friend--who had in

fact heard every word--was drinking her milkshake

even faster than normal, her cheeks as red as

tomatoes.


	3. 3 Grand Gesture

#3. Grand Gesture

Author: Nat-chan

Rated: PG13

E-mail: natalie. http/oceansofnat. Standard

Author's Notes: This might be the raciest thing I've written

and I've been heavily debating whether or not to post it. I

certainly don't want to offend anyone. But I tried to write this

premise as tastefully as possible ;;;;;

eeks. nervous er...hope you like? If I get all kinds of bad

feedback I'll take it down.

* * *

Darien was reclining lazily on the couch with

Serena draped over him. It had become, by far,

his favorite way to spend the afternoons.

Usually he had a book under pretense of

studying but in reality it was to give his hands

something to do lest they wander where

his mind was sometimes wont to go.

Serena was younger than him. He

constantly reminded himself of that

fact and felt he must protect her always

from every terrible thing that might happen

to her because of her youth and innocence.

That included himself.

He had worked very carefully at

keeping things slow and careful between

them. It seemed to be the right thing to

do because for the first month or so

that they were together Serena was quite

content to simply kiss and hold hands

and sit close to him. She still seemed

thrilled and overwhelmed by the merest

touch. If he put his arm around her when

they were out he could feel her hold her

breath.

But lately he had noticed a disturbing

shift in their usual pattern. Now when

she climbed over to kiss him she lingered

much longer and pressed much closer

and...let her hands wander. At first they

had only wandered into his hair, which he

had to admit, he really liked. Then they

had started slipping down his neck and

gripping his shoulders, which had given

him a shock the first time but he'd quickly

settled in and still managed to keep himself

in check.

But now her hands had started wandering

into his shirt, fingertips stroking his back

in insistent patterns, then gripping tighter

when the kiss changed to something she

really liked.

It was making him crazy. He didn't want

to tell her to stop because it would seem

like rejection. But he'd had to pull away

more and more lately. Especially today

when she'd ventured her mouth down

to the hollow behind his ear. It had been

his turn to stop breathing as her hands

had continued torturing him beneath his

shirt. He would have given anything at that

moment, to let his hands wander under hers,

but he just couldn't justify it. He had carefully

turned the mood back to low and now they lay

comfortably.

In fact, he was quite sure she was asleep.

But as he reached out for his book she suddenly

spoke.

"Darien, do you love me?"

He looked down at her abruptly, "Of course I do.

Why are you asking me that?"

Of course, poor Serena had been working up

the courage to make more moves on him for weeks

and when she finally did, he seemed to pull away.

She assumed she was doing something wrong,

or that he did not love her as much as she loved

him.

"It's just that...you don't often show it." she didn't

mean it unkindly but Darien was quite horrified,

immediately searching his mind for examples

to the contrary.

"Sometimes you seem so distant and your life

seems so uninvolved with mine. "

"Serena," he chided, "How can you say that? You

are the love of my life. We already know we're going

to get married and spend the rest of our lives together."

"But that's just what I mean," she persisted, "I know you're

sure that it will happen in the distant future--but what

about right now? You don't seem in any hurry to get to it."

Though it occurred to Darien then _if she only knew_...he

bit his tongue.

"What kind of gesture are we talking about here?" he asked

carefully.

"I don't know," she said thoughtfully, "Something that tells

me I'm a part of your life, that you love me in a way I can't

doubt. Something new you're offering me that you didn't

before."

Her cheeks were burning at the obviousness of what

she was saying but Darien was totally oblivious.

That night he walked her to the door, lingered in a

goodbye kiss and then went to sit on the couch and

muse about it.

A grand gesture. His mind was a total blank.

Something that told her she was a part of his life.

He looked around his apartment. He had no family

to introduce her to. He certainly couldn't PROPOSE.

What did that leave? How did guys show their

girlfriends that something that kept them satisfied?

This new area of skill was beyond him. He needed

advice. He needed...Andrew.

* * *

"A part of your life? A way they can't doubt?"

Andrew's voice was tinged with bitterness for

the first time to Darien's recollection,

"They must get together once a month in

some kind of CLUB and decide this stuff!"

Darien gave a low laugh. Obviously

Andrew had been through this before.

"So, what do I do?" He asked.

"Do about what?" asked a chorus of voices and

he was suddenly surrounded by Serena's girly

group of friends.

"Er--nothing." he said quickly.

But Andrew, who already had his solution

ready but felt it truly unfair that he wasn't

going to suffer at all the way HE had with

Rita, saw his chance to even the score.

"He's trying to think of a grand gesture

for Serena, to prove he loves her and

she's a part of his life now!" he told them

with a smile.

Darien shot him the most betrayed look

ever given from one guy to another.

Some year and a half later when Darien

got his revenge on Andrew, Andrew

remembered that look and learned a

valuable lesson about crossing his

best friend.

However, back in the present, the last

laugh was his.

"GRAND GESTURE!" shrieked a delighted

Mina, "WHAT FUN!"

Even Rei looked excited to come up with

ideas. Ami was already typing into her

palm pilot.

Darien looked bleakly into his coffee.

"You could get them to dedicate a song

to her on the radio one night--or you could

have them write "I love you Serena!" on the

billboard at a local sports game--OR you

could have a plane write it in the sky..."

Mina stopped briefly to sigh with Lita over

the sky writing idea.

Darien just shook his head, "Uhhh that's not

really what I'm going for here."

"How about baking her something sweet

and spelling out 'I love you' in icing?" Lita

suggested helpfully.

Darien chuckled uncomfortably, "I don't

think so."

He was never telling ANY of them that he

had already baked a batch of bunny shaped

cookies and done just that for their three

month anniversary!

"What about filling the entire apartment

with candles?" suggested Rei, "The next

time she comes over for the evening?"

Darien smiled smugly, "I've done that one

before!" he boasted with satisfaction.

Ami had finally compiled her list and started

firing off the classics,

"Dressy evening out at a fancy restaurant?"

"Done." he replied.

"Romantic date movie followed by star

gazing in the park?"

"Done." he smiled.

"Rowboat for two on the lake with

a surprise picnic lunch?"

"Done." he grinned beginning to feel

very pleased with himself indeed. What

was Serena's problem anyway? He was

a FANTASTIC boyfriend!

"Ami, those are all just romantic gestures,

not GRAND gestures. Darien's looking

for something that shows Serena she is

part of his life now."

Darien's feelings of good boyfriendness

began to fade. Hadn't he shown her that

she was part of his life already? What more

could he do?

Rei faced him, "Look, Serena isn't looking for

some flashy gimmick I think. She wants you

to offer her something real and personal that

tells her, without trying to, that she belongs

in your life."

"Like what?" he asked looking blanker

than she had ever seen him look.

All four of them smiled kindly at him

then and he found himself a little

annoyed at their pitying understanding.

"You know, she never mentioned the

candles," Rei said, "But that day you

took the afternoon off work because she

was sick, she went on about that for

weeks!"

Darien was left feeling more confused

than before, "How am I supposed to

come up with something like that out

of the blue?"

"Don't listen to Rei!" scoffed Mina, "I

say, fill the apartment with ROSES!"

The girls and Darien all rolled their

eyes. He'd already thought of that

and of course used roses with just

about everything he gave her. But

he was saving the apartment full of roses

for a "bed of roses" he intended to build

for another, more important first.

Thankfully the girls left soon after this

and Darien turned back to Andrew with

an expression of faux calm.

"You'll get yours." He promised quietly.

Andrew just laughed.

"So what do I do?" Darien asked again.

Andrew leaned over the counter,

"Hands down, jewelry is the best way

to go."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You see, it's impossible

to create a planned spontaneous

gesture. Jewelry serves as the

shock and awe of the relationship

world."

"Shock and awe?"

Andrew smiled, "More like

dazzle and distract."

"Ah." Darien replied with a smile.

"You just have to pick out something

that has a special meaning to you

both. Something that symbolizes

a part of your relationship."

Darien smiled broadly. This was

going to be easier than he thought!

"And remember, diamonds are forever!"

teased Andrew as Darien got up to leave.

* * *

After he'd gone Serena wandered in

looking quite downcast. Andrew smiled

since he already knew what it was about.

He made Serena a milkshake and told

her as she took a long, depressed looking

slurp, "You should know Darien's out

hunting around the city for some kind of

grand gesture for you as we speak."

He expected her to squeal with glee

and jump around but instead her face

reddened and she muttered "Oh no..."

Her eyes met his in shame, "H-he told

you about that?"

Andrew frowned, "He told me you wanted

some kind of grand gesture that told

you he loved you and that you were a

part of his life--something he hadn't

offered you before."

Serena looked more and more embarrassed.

"Oh Andrew!" she exclaimed covering her

burning cheeks with her hands, "And he

thinks I want some kind of gift?"

"Uh, yeah," replied Andrew, "Don't you?"

She looked around the empty arcade

and leaned over, "Er...no...I just...that is,

I was...we've been together a long time

now and I...you know I trust Darien and

I feel so comfortable with him that I...I..."

He watched her grow completely incoherent

before understanding finally dawned on him

and he gave a low chuckle.

"Serena, you're saying you're ready to

take the relationship a little further?"

"A little further...yes." she squeaked,

feeling totally humiliated and worried

that Andrew now thought she was a

hentai.

But Andrew just smiled kindly back at her,

"Trust me, he won't need very much

encouragement!'

But she shook her head and forgot her

shame as she blurted, "No, that's not

true! I've tried making more moves but

he always pulls away! Do you think

I'm doing it wrong? Or maybe I'm just

more...more in love with him than he

is with me?"

And now Andrew understand why

she had asked for a gesture...instead

of what she really wanted. He shook

his head. He knew Darien well enough

to know EXACTLY what was going

on.

"Serena, you've got to trust me here.

The problem is not you or Darien's

feelings for you. He is only trying to

be a gentlemen and wait until you

are ready--or until he thinks you're

old enough to be ready."

She frowned moodily, "I think I'm

old enough." she muttered.

"Well then, keep at it. It won't take

much more to break him, trust me.

He's not pulling away, he's trying

desperately to keep control of

himself!"

She blushed bright red, "Really?"

Andrew nodded heartily, "Really."

Serena's entire face lit up then,

"Thanks Andrew! You're the best!"

She skipped off plotting her next

strategy and Andrew shook his head,

grinning like an idiot.

Darien, was about to have a very good

night.

* * *

And so it came to be that Darien had a

black velvet jewelry box, nestled in a gift

bag full of rose petals tucked away for

Serena on their next evening in together.

He hadn't done anything with the

apartment. No romantic flashy feat.

Just snacks, movies to watch, and the gift.

He smiled to himself and headed for the

bathroom to shave. But as he reached

for the towel it fell behind the sink.

Grumbling he reached down for it and

stuck his hand...in a bag of Serena's

"feminine" products. He blanched and

yanked back his hand as though it were

burnt.

_That's it!_ He thought, _I've had it with this_

_stuff! I'm going to do what I should have done_

_months ago!_

Much later he met Serena at the door. She

looked fresh and happy, her eyes

actively searching out whatever it was

he had done.

When she couldn't see any obvious signs

she resigned herself to waiting for what

she hoped was going to be a surprise

when she least expected it.

She dropped her coat and bag and called

out to him in the kitchen, "I'm just going to

the bathroom, be right back."

Darien arranged the snacks on the table

and set up the movie. He tucked the bag

just behind the chair, in arms reach at the right

moment.

Suddenly Serena came rushing out, eyes sparkling,

her hands shaking with happiness, "Oh DARIEN,

it's just PERFECT! I love it!"

Darien frowned, "What?"

"The basket organizer you made me in the

bathroom! You cleared a whole space for

me and I even have my own toothbrush and

cup set!"

He stared at her in disbelief. He had done

that in ten minutes, with $10 and the cornerstore

downstairs, in a fit of annoyance.

She watched his face cloud with real annoyance

then. It was so adorable. He so rarely got angry

or even out of sorts.

"You think," he said slowly, "That THAT is a grand

gesture?"

But now she looked even happier, "You mean that

wasn't it?" she exclaimed in glee.

"OF COURSE IT WASN'T! WHAT KIND OF GRAND

GESTURE IS ORGANIZING THE BATHROOM!"

But she was laughing and sprinted over to him where he

sat perched on the arm of the couch, "Can I have the

real present? Please? Please?"

But he crossed his arms and sulked like a little boy.

"I don't think I WANT to give it to you." he huffed.

"Please? Pleeeeease?" she begged humbly, though

her giggles gave her away.

She kissed him all over his face but he was immovable.

Her hands tangled up in his hair and sent goosebumps

down his neck and back but he ignored them.

All that work today, all that agony and it didn't matter at all!

But Serena was really ready this time. She wrapped

herself around him and kissed him quite thoroughly,

pushing him over the arm of the couch so that they slowly

slipped back together. And he let her, though he still

pretended to be angry.

When she pulled away he was breathless but he managed

to narrow his eyes and grumble, "I'm still angry."

She smiled and sat up, pulling him gently with her. Then

she kissed him again, doing that torturous thing with her

hands under his shirt until he finally responded and wrapped

his own arms around her to hold her there.

She finally pulled away, smiling dreamily at him. How she loved

him. Knowing he had spent time and effort to please her only

made the feeling stronger. It didn't even matter what he'd

picked.

His eyes were glazed nicely but she knew he still wasn't

going to offer it to her. So she executed her plan. This,

she thought, was the perfect moment.

With one deft movement she reached back, unclasped,

slid down and pulled her bra out one of the short

sleeves of her shirt. It happened so quickly Darien

had no time to react. One minute she was reaching

behind her back, and the next she was holding her

pink cotton bra up for him to see before dropping

it with a soft sound to the floor.

She watched him go quite still, his eyes looking unblinkingly

at her before he reached behind the chair and pulled

out the bag, "Here," he said hoarsely, "You can have it."

She grinned delightedly and took it from his

hands, "YAY!"

He just shook his head, trying to swallow over his suddenly

parched throat.

She opened the bag and rustled delightedly through

the rose petals, leaning down to smell them with a smile.

He found himself smiling too. Especially when she found

the jewelry box and opened it with a gasp. It was her

turn to freeze.

"D-darien...are these...are these diamonds?" she finished in

a whisper.

He smothered a laugh, "Of course."

He leaned over and pointed, "The circle is earth, for me,

and the crescent one is the moon...for you."

The little diamond moon cradled the circular one and

Serena found she could not speak. Darien took it from

her shaking hands and fastened it about her throat. Then

he took her face in his hands, "I love you." he smiled down

at her, then kissed her.

Serena wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed

him happily back. Then giggled as she felt him lean

her eagerly back on the couch, hands wandering first

into her hair until her buns were a mess of half-curly hair

all over the cushions, then down to finally go where they had

both wanted them to...


	4. 4 Coffee

#4. Coffee

Author: nat-chan

Rated: goodness of WAFF G

Disclaimer: standard

Author's Notes: For Alicia and her roommate and every last delicious _"Did he just…?"_

* * *

­­­

Darien Shields had remembered everything. Or so he thought. But when they reached the campsite he realized, with real horror:

the one.

thing.

he'd.

forgotten.

Coffee.

He had come prepared for the Orphanage Day-Camp with every tool and toy imaginable. He'd remembered bug repellent, suntan lotion, an extra t-shirt, his swim trunks, a lighter for the bonfire and both his pairs of running shoes, just in case. He'd even remembered Andrew's stupid specialized pretzels that he just HAD to have! But now he would have to go the whole day without a single sip of precious, live-giving coffee!

Andrew watched him getting droopier and droopier as they set up tents and relay ropes and signs and flags. His mood became increasingly darker. He started getting grouchy and snapping at people. Andrew laughed and shook his head. The guy was a total addict. What WAS he going to do without coffee all day?

Just then the girls arrived in a noisy swarm, arms laden with prizes, ribbons and trophies for the days events. And at the back was Serena, clutching a thermos and waggling her eyebrows humorously at Andrew as she said, "The baka forgot his coffee—has he collapsed yet? I don't think I've ever seen him without one!"

Darien came around the corner at that moment and he seemed to immediately spot the thermos. He looked from it to Serena's face and back again before his face broke into the most delighted and grateful expression she thought she'd ever seen (and she was Sailor Moon, she'd saved a few lives and STILL they hadn't seemed as grateful as he did that moment)

"Is that….is that my coffee?" he asked hopefully.

He held out his hands and she couldn't help but laugh as she handed it over.

"Yes, it is."

"Thanks! You're the BEST!" he blurted without a second thought and her eyes widened in shock.

_No way, was he just nice to me?_

Was this the secret? Come bearing coffee and all styles of hair and clutz attacks were forgotten? It struck her funny—and so did the suddenly surprised look on Darien's face when he too realized he'd been nice to her. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen that before either. She could see him trying to figure out what to do.

So she decided to return the curveball and throw back Mina's new favorite slang at him,

"Who loves you baby?" she winked and sauntered past him to catch up with the girls.

Darien was left staring open-mouthed after her.

_No way, did she just flirt with me?_

Andrew watched a calculating light come into Darien's eyes as he drank that coffee and watched after Serena. He could almost hear the sudden "click" in his friend's brain as he assessed her anew.

And as they set up for the first event and Serena reached up to hang a sign over the rope so that her pink t-shirt rode up and revealed her belly button, Andrew beheld a sight so shocking he dropped his toolbox on his foot. Darien checked out Serena.

Indeed, Serena began to wonder as the day went on, if she had brought him magic coffee. He was so unabashedly nice to her. When she got tangled in the tug of war rope he helped her out without so much as a snicker of contempt. When her fishing line, which was meant to hook a toy from the prize pool, instead hooked the back of a very irritable looking woman's hat, he quietly slipped over and with a deft flick of the hand, unhooked it without her knowing. Then he winked at her.

_No way!_

And later when the target darts game started and she threw her dart so far left it accidentally landed in the fireworks stored behind some trees and managed to ignite a spark that set several of them off, he laughed as heartily as the kids standing nearby and didn't tease her about it!

He didn't tease. Instead he watched. Serena was a walking disaster, but she was a lot of fun. And she was good with kids. Probably, Darien reflected, because she was a big kid herself. It was the one thing she could do that he could not. She could embrace being a child. Darien was pretty sure he could make a long list of things that he was better at than her. Math, eloquence, co-ordination….and yet, this one skill she possessed that he did not seemed to have furnished her with the secret of happiness. She seemed to get through life better than he did and he could not understand why.

It was so baffling that he found himself testing it, as though looking for a structural weakness. It couldn't possibly be that easy. This one thing just could not be it. Could it? The longer the day went on, the more uneasily he began to feel that yes, actually it really was.

And he really didn't like the feeling that she somehow won their unspoken competition by simply being happier than he was.

He remembered her once asking him if he _enjoyed_ being miserable. Of course he didn't _enjoy it_. But he was a lot better off than _she_ was, wasn't he?

These thoughts made him realize something important and frightening. No matter how much he wanted coffee, he must never ever accept it from the Meatballhead again. What was he _thinking_? Had he lost his _mind_?

If he had, he quickly lost it again when the three-legged race began and he dragged her over to be his partner.

Serena watched as if standing nearby and observing herself as he tied their two closest feet together, linked arms with her and waited for the local Radio DJ to fire his comical flag gun to start.

Then they were off and although the height difference made it difficult, Serena's uncanny speed from constant lateness gave them quite the advantage. They came in second and toppled over the finish line laughing breathlessly. But Serena landed on top of him and fixed him with wide blue eyes. Her smile faded away and Andrew watched that same calculating expression come into her eyes, heard that distinct "click" in the brain and watched a genuine blush creep across Darien's cheeks as she assessed him anew.

Then he pulled them quickly up, darting mad glances around to see if anyone had noticed. Andrew whistled innocently and continued building the rope and pulley system over the hill.

When it was finished he was quite proud of himself. The rope ran the length of the hill and had a pulley with two metal handles attached so you could hang on and sail down it if you lifted your feet. He called Darien over to test it and he heartily grabbed on, tucking his tall legs up and flying down at top speed.

Andrew used his knacky looped rope system to wind the pulley back up and the kids lined up eagerly to try. Darien stayed at the bottom and caught them as they came.

Then with a deafening scream, down came Serena. But Darien was ready this time and caught her deftly, her scream abruptly halting as he righted her with real skill.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" she asked breathlessly.

His eyes never left hers as he caught another little boy and put him down, "Damsels in distress are my speciality!" he grinned and then….winked at her.

_Did he just wink at me again?_

­

* * *

It was later, when Darien sat by his lonesome, drinking the last of that coffee that Andrew sat down with a knowing smile besides him.

Darien took the last swig as Andrew stared over the lake from the overhang Darien had found.

"So, you and Serena," Andrew observed.

If that last sip of coffee weren't so precious, he would have spit it across the overhang.

"I think you should go for it." Andrew said, still not looking at him. Then there was only silence.

Darien was not one to admit things. But his silence revealed he was thinking about it. Andrew chuckled knowingly as he walked away.

Serena's friends were much livelier.

"Serena, no way, he's been nice to you all day!"

"I think he likes you!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"Meatball brains you might as well just admit that you like him back! It's SO obvious!"

"………….."

"I think you should go for it!"

"………….."

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

"………………..really?"

"Yes really!"

* * *

Later, when the kids were tucked in and sleeping, Darien crept down to the shore of the river. He remembered it from every summer of his childhood at the orphanage. And the memories were all happy ones.

Tonight, Serena sat on a fallen long that had long served as a bench. The moon reflected across the surface of the water with beauty. She clutched two thermoses. And she smiled when he sat down beside her.

"This one's coffee." She offered and passed it to him.

"And that one?"

She grinned as she took another hearty slurp, "Hot chocolate."

He laughed and opened the coffee. He remembered his earlier conclusion that he must never take coffee from her because it obviously made him crazy in the head. Now he knew, he'd always take coffee from her, every single time, and hope the craziness remained permanantely.

"One of the Directors brought some and made a big pot over the campfire." Serena explained, "His wife made the cocoa."

When he took a big drink and smiled at her she smiled back and said happily, "I'll bring you coffee everyday if you'll be this nice to me!"

He regarded her wryly, "We have had a good time ne?"

"It's been….nice."

"Yeah….."

The moment faded into two blushes. There was a long silence before Darien finally asked, "How come you volunteered for this camp?"

"My school does fundraiser's and camps for the Juubon Orphanage all the time. Some of our students are from there. I—I'm in the 'Friends to Juubon' Club with Ami and the other girls wanted to help too."

He smiled at her embarrassed admission about the club. She was waiting for him to tease her. But she had found the one subject on which he would never ever tease her.

She regarded him strangely when he didn't reply. Then she asked, "What about you?"

He met her eyes and tried to keep his expression light, "I grew up in the Juubon Orphanage. My parents died when I was six."

Her smile faded to a look of horror and he quickly continued, "I used to come to this camp every summer. I have really great memories of this place."

She was quiet and he didn't look at her.

"I come every year." He said gently, then added, finally turning to watch her profile, "You're really good with kids. Even though I grew up in this place I….you have this natural way with them. It looks so easy when you do it…."

She was quiet for a long moment before asking "When I do what?" very quietly.

And then he realized he'd said too much. He looked out at the lake and now she watched his profile.

"When you have fun…."

She smiled, "Fun is easy!" she blurted out, then she realized he'd just paid her compliment—just told her she was good at something. She froze.

A moment later it struck her that he was insinuating it was not easy for _him_ to have fun. Was it possible? Darien was not good at something? That couldn't be right. She searched her mind and found memory after memory of Darien having fun.

"Darien," she said suddenly, "You have fun all the time! Whenever I see you at the arcade you're laughing and having fun…..usually at my expense." She added quietly.

He laughed then, "You make it contagious….Meatballhead."

They were both smiling at each other now and she finally read what was really there in the nickname. Yes, there were endless amounts of things he was better at. But there was one thing she had that he didn't that rendered her fascinating to him. That made him test her to see what it really was.

And now she saw something in him that she found just as interesting.

"You're not really a jerk afterall." She said with a twinkle in her eye.

"You're pretty cool too." He replied, his stomach doing a strange but exciting dance, "Thanks for the coffee."

She winked at him, "Who loves you baby?"

He blushed even as he laughed, then he dared to lean a little closer, "No way…..you do?"

Her eyes gave her away in that instant, widening and thinking:

_No way._

He laughed and leaned over until their noses were touching. There was only one thing to do when you found the girl who had the one thing you didn't.

"Yes way." He said softly, and kissed her.


	5. 5 Headphones

#5. Headphones

Rated: Goodness of WAFF G

Disclaimer: standard

Genre: First Season Romance

Author: nat-chan

Author's Notes: My first ever Beta-d fic! accepts roses

Thanks to my wonderful beta Alicia-chan! gives her the roses

I was terrified that my first beta would be a terrifying experience

(in the past I have been known to, only occasionally of course, get "slightly"

upset when "accepting" criticism of my writing, and on some

occasions, but really so very few it almost bars mentioning, objects

have been thrown) but Alica was wonderful, all her suggestions were awesome and she picked out

all the grammer errors and typos I myself missed.

WOOOT

Now, on to the fic!

* * *

Mina walked into the arcade to hear Serena and Darien in the middle of one of their louder fights.

They were screaming and pointing dramatically. Yet nearby them sat Andrew, smiling happily as

he watched the argument. Mina frowned curiously, walking closer and wincing at the shouting from

the famous pair. How could he stand it?

But once she sat down near him she realized he had his fingers in his ears.

He waited until she leaned over before removing his fingers and saying, "If you plug your ears

it's a totally different conversation."

Mina looked curiously from Andrew to the still-bickering Serena and Darien.

"Meatballhead, lower the decibels, I think you're gonna shatter the windows!"

"Shut up Baka, the only things I hope I shatter are your eardrums!"

"Too late for that!"

Andrew was looking between the two of them, ears plugged, smiling avidly.

She shrugged and walked away.

But the next time she came to the arcade before Serena arrived she remembered

Andrew's words. And as Serena came in she plugged her ears and watched.

Her mouth fell open in surprise.

Without hearing what Darien was saying she saw only the way his face lit up in

absolute delight when he spotted Serena. The entire time they were arguing he looked

happier and happier. Without knowing the words she would have assumed he was….she

blanched…in love with Serena! He looked so blissfully happy talking to her that Mina almost

laughed. She spotted Andrew doing the same and they exchanged a knowing glance.

She shared this phenomenon with the other girls who all dutifully plugged their ears and

watched Darien's face the next day.

It was uncanny. His voice said one thing and his face something else entirely. It transformed

each time and shone with such genuine happiness and enthusiasm they were all quite surprised

they hadn't noticed it before.

Then they set about making some kind of plan to reveal this fact to Serena.

No one could think of anything really plausible. Winter was months away and earmuffs

wouldn't really do the trick.

But two weeks later Mina had a stroke of genius and told the girls to wait and see what her

mind had brilliantly come up with.

The girls waited nervously. Mina's schemes were almost as disastrous as Serena's at times….

But then Serena walked into the arcade, smiling and bouncy as usual, looking the same

as always and they strained to see the difference.

Raye spotted it first…and patted Mina on the back. An MP3 player, a tiny one, hung

around Serena's neck and two tiny earphones plugged her ears, the cord was clear and hard to see.

Serena headed over for her usual chocolate shake and Darien's face did its amazing transformation

as he ripped into her. But for the first time Serena did not hear him and, to Andrew's immense

delight, she saw only his face.

The smile was so lovely and unexpected that Serena's eyes widened in surprise before she

smiled right back at him, stopping him dead in his tracks. He didn't see the headphones,

only the blinding, happy, friendly smile she was giving him and his own smile froze on his face.

The girls chuckled to themselves as the moment turned over and the two enemies stood smiling

rather stupidly at one another for much longer than necessary.

Then Serena got her milkshake and headed over to sit with the girls. She pulled out

her earphones, "Thanks for the present Mina! You're the best!"

"No problem girl!" Mina chimed, trying to make an innocent face but

winking at the girls rather obviously so that it was ruined.

"And hey, Darien was nice to me! What a great day!" Serena added.

Said Darien was getting ready to leave and looking over at Serena with intent

so Mina quickly grabbed the headphones. "Let's hear what you put on here—hey is

this the new Righteous Moon song?"

She stuffed the headphones back into Serena's ears just in time. She only caught

Darien's "Hey—" and not the "Meatballhead" and turned to see that delightful

smile once again directed at her as he headed for the door.

She smiled happily back and waved. "Byyyyyye Darien!" she sang out and his face

turned rather confused, the smile fading a bit, his eyebrows drawing down but his hand

instinctively raising to wave back. He turned and stared at that raised hand for a long

moment, then walked out of the arcade looking quite baffled and making Raye and Lita laugh.

Serena fortunately did not notice and sang along happily with her mp3 player, thinking

what a beautiful world it was when a girl could drink her chocolate shake, listen to her

favorite song, and be smiled at by her enemy.

He was pretty cute—when he wasn't saying jerkface things to her!

Of course Mina and the girls knew it was only a matter of time before she

discovered the truth and that day came the following week, when Serena crashed

into Darien on her way to school, earphones in and music loud.

They landed in a tangled heap and Darien smirked (or thought he smirked) and

said, "Another collision with hurricane Serena! Tell me Meatballhead, are you

ever going to keep your balance for longer than five minutes at a time?"

And then she did that thing again! That SMILE thing where she didn't retort or

huff off or turn that delightful red colour that made him sure she wasn't thinking

of anyone else but him—even if it was with absolute hatred, she just smiled back

as though he'd said something NICE to her and she'd LIKED it. But that just couldn't be right!

This had been happening all week and he was good and freaked out. Just what was

going on here?

He looked so confused and didn't move from his position sprawled over her so she finally

reached up (for a moment he thought it was for his face and she was going to do something

really crazy like KISS him) and pulled out a pair of clear, tiny earphones. _How_ hadn't he

noticed those before?

"Did you say something?" she smiled at him.

"You've had earphones in all week?" he breathed, finally putting it together.

"Yeah! Mina bought this for me, for no reason! It's awesome!"

His face slowly dawned with understanding. "So you haven't heard

anything I've said to you all week then?"

And now her own face slowly dawned with understanding. She turned,

crestfallen. "Wait, you mean you…..you WERE saying mean things to me all week?

I just couldn't hear you?"

He felt something unpleasant clench in his stomach at the sad look in her

eyes and tried hard to push it away.

"But….but you SMILED at me," she said quietly, almost to herself.

"Yeah, well, you make me smile, Meatballhead," he retorted.

In his head it had sounded sarcastic and cool. In the air, on its irreversible course

to her ears, it sounded totally different and his eyes widened as hers did.

Then he blushed.

Serena's face lit up again, a sudden, fervent, earnest wanting readable in her eyes

and Darien blanched.

They sat up slowly, legs still mixed up together.

"You smiled at me like… as though you liked me. And like you were

happy to see me," she said carefully.

He said nothing. His throat had closed and his lungs had ceased drawing in air.

He tried desperately to think of something mean to say and restore balance to their

carefully constructed universe—but he just couldn't. He had actually LIKED her

smiling at him all week, though his feelings were against his better judgment.

He opened his mouth, determined to say something, but then her small,

warm hand found his, fingers lacing through his own and she smiled an

entirely new smile altogether so that he froze, mouth open and she nearly laughed.

"I liked it," she finished bravely and dared to meet his eyes and hold them.

Then she blushed.

His fingers squeezed hers and the words "You're crazy Meatballhead, and

aren't you late for SCHOOL?" died in his throat to be replaced with:

"I like you too."

His brain, he was certain, turned around in his head and gave him a look,

tentacle like stem-arms rising as if to say "What the—?"

But she smiled that impossible smile again and he found himself returning it

so that her eyes danced and she said happily, "I like THAT smile even BETTER!"

Then she jumped up. "Gotta jet! I'm major late! But I'll see you later at the arcade okay?

Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Darien was left to stare after her, still smiling and thinking to himself, Mina just might

have known what she was doing buying Serena that mp3 player.

Mina walked into the arcade later to behold the realization of all her matchmaker dreams.

Serena and Darien sat side-by-side on barstools, each with an earphone as Darien flipped

through all 50 songs scolding, "Don't you have anything GOOD on here?" as Serena finished

what looked to be her third shake by the row of empty glasses.

"Another chocolate shake for the bottomless Meatballhead, Andrew!" Darien ordered and when

Serena shot him a look he smiled bewitchingly and leaned over to say,

"_My_ bottomless Meatballhead."


	6. 6 Cranky

6. cranky

Author: nat-chan

Rating: G for grouchy Mamoru

Beta'd by: The lovely and amazing Alicia-chan

Disclaimer: my rights over the rights to Sailor Moon are ob-sigh-yo! (that's Korean for they don't exist!)

Author's Notes: Mamoru Chiba, it occurred to me, is never in a bad mood. Just imagine if he was….

Genre: Let's say S season…..whatever season it is where they are a couple and have been for a while.

Minus the spore of course ;)

* * *

Mamoru Chiba was furious. He was enraged. He was so angry he'd gone quite silent and only his fire 

and brimstone eyes gave him away.

He stormed out of what had to be the worst day of work in recorded history, and thundered

down the sidewalk toward the arcade. It was at least twenty blocks away but he didn't care.

His motorcycle had simply REFUSED to start this morning and was still at home. And he was NOT

taking the bus in a mood like this.

He went to check his watch then realized for the fiftieth time that day… it had stopped after lunch.

He continued down the sidewalk looking bleaker and blacker than he ever had before. In his mind he

enumerated the failings of the day.

First his shave gel had run out with only half his face covered. Then, his toilet had backed up.

This was followed by: the paper cut his morning paper had given him; his misplaced keys making

him late leaving; his broken Motorcycle sealing the deal for lateness; his Boss waiting angrily for

him when he arrived.

The realization when he sat down that his socks didn't match.

The more horrific realization that in his haste that morning he had forgotten to put on…._underwear_!

After that, it had just gone downhill….

The fax machine had jammed. The phone cord had snapped mid-conversation. The only coffee

had been decaf and someone had drunk the last cup leaving him with…shudder tea.

The filing cabinet drawer had become dislodged and landed on his foot.

A bird had flown into the twelfth storey picture window and scared him so badly as he

walked by that he spilled the wretched tea all over his shirt and pants.

Then, when he took the forbidden shortcut when filing a memo later, which he almost never

did but the day had been so bad he couldn't face the usual way, his Boss caught him and

decided to make an example out of him, by calling together the entire office and publicly shaming

him with a lecture.

Then he sat in gum.

At lunch the vending machine had eaten his dollar. The café had made him the wrong sandwich and

he hadn't realized it until he got back to the office with no time to switch it.

He had spent over an hour typing up a report only to have the computer freeze before he

remembered to save.

The Boss's obnoxious daughter had come in and flirted shamelessly with him. _Again._ And when

Mamoru had finally lost his temper and told her in no uncertain terms that nothing would EVER

happen between them she had burst into noisy tears…and her father had walked out to see them.

This led to his being dispatched early from work, which allowed him the only reprieve in his day: getting

to the arcade when he knew Usa would be there.

It was his only mission now. Nothing and no one would stop him. Birds changed course as he

approached. Happy couples and children scattered in his wake. The traffic light turned green

immediately in terror.

A small dog, just the kind that liked to offer that extra special "love" to the legs of innocent

bystanders headed towards him. Mamoru Chiba fixed that dog with a look and it cowered away.

Dark rain clouds began to gather overhead and Mamoru Chiba did not have an umbrella. He

glared into the sky and they dissipated, replaced by the happy, though rather frightened, sun.

Motoki glanced up as Mamoru walked into the arcade and took a fearful step backwards.

The girls looked over from their table and even Mako swallowed in alarm.

Only Usagi met that black expression with one of unabashed and oblivious joy.

"Mamo-chan!" she cried happily, abandoning her milkshake and rushing over to throw

her arms about him. "You got off early!"

When she pulled back and took a good look at his face she did not curdle in fear but

instead gave him a look reserved for boyfriends in bad moods. "Did you have a bad day?" she

asked, but it wasn't really a question.

Then she leaned up and gave him a kiss that made Motoki blush and look away.

Mamoru slowly wrapped his arms around her and when she finally pulled away that

feral look in his eyes had dulled to one that—although still enraged—was strangely pacified.

Usagi pulled him over to sit at the bar and looked expectantly from Motoki to the coffee pot until

he reacted. Then she wrapped her arms around Mamoru again and he folded up his tall frame to let

her sooth him. The look on his face clearly stated "I am receiving comfort from my girlfriend, stay away!"

Rei hid her laughter in her milkshake. She didn't think she'd ever seen him so cranky.

Usagi affectionately ran her hand under the back of his shirt to trace comforting patterns over

his skin until she gave him a pleasant shiver from the sensation. But as Motoki brought back the

coffee her hand traced lower and with a sudden blush she whispered in a scandalized

voice, "Mamo-chan, you aren't wearing underwear!"

Motoki dropped the coffee and it shattered on the floor. Mamoru fixed him with a truly

dangerous expression and Motoki held up his hands, "I-I'll get you another one pal, just

wait right there…."

"Mamo-chan!" Usagi hissed and Mamoru turned to fix her with a truly pathetic and helpless look.

"I forgot."

"You….forgot?" she giggled and he nodded, still looking sad and tragic.

She shook her head at him. What kind of day had it been for Mamo-chan to forget to

put on UNDERWEAR?

When Motoki came back with that coffee it was to hear Usagi and Mamoru speaking in

low tones. Then Usagi leaned over and whispered in Mamoru's ear and Motoki watched the

dark look fade completely from Mamoru's face to be replaced with a smile of happy anticipation.

He stood up as Usagi giggled again and took his hand warmly in her own.

"Ja ne Motoki-onii-san!" she sang out. "We're going home!"

Motoki watched after them in surprise.

Whatever she had whispered must have been good. Mamoru hadn't even noticed the coffee. It sat

abandoned on the counter as he walked out into the sun, a broad smile on his handsome face.

He was oblivious to coffee, papercuts, and all other form of distraction or irritant. All there was now,

was the warm sensation of Usa's hand in his own and her delicious promise still lingering in his ear.

Forgetting his underwear had turned out to be the luckiest part of his day.

* * *

I know I know, another naughty ending, but I just couldn't resist. Forgive the aging nat-chan minna-chan

Only girlfriends know what to whisper in their boyfriend's ear after a bad day ne?

My own Tuxedo M was recently in QUITE the grouch-fit and actually fell asleep on my bed STILL

scowling. It was the cutest thing I think I've ever seen. Poor grouchy M He inspired a fic out of me!


	7. 7 Thank You

#7. thank you

Author: nat-chan

Rated: frozen moment of awakening G

Disclaimer: standard

Genre: First Season Romance

Beta'd by: Alicia-chan, the awesome, the amazing, and now thanks to me,

the alliterative ;)

Author's Notes: This might be the first one to actually qualify as a drabble.

It's teeny tiny! But I love it...waw

* * *

Everything froze in sudden heat.

Time stopped beating.

His heart stopped turning.

Birds stopped rising and the sun stopped singing.

Every sense in his body turned blind, then narrowed,

acute to just that one, soft, fiery feeling.

This touch was not like the others. It held

intention. It left promises in its wake. It awoke

with terror and bliss, a sensation of possibility.

It left him hungry and elated.

His body expected, yearned, and could not move.

And as the park, the wind, the very earth faded away

into nothingness she leaned closer, impossibly close,

was she going to kiss him? His senses went haywire

at the thought and she saw his pupils dilate strangely.

But instead she whispered in his ear, her hand still

warm and soft and tangled at the fingers with his.

Her palm connected with his as she leaned closer and

he sucked in a sharp breath.

"Thank you," her voice said gently, laced with sincerity

the same way her fingers laced with his until the two

became inseparable.

He felt the very shift in the air before she moved

to pull away and instinctively clutched, his hand

shaming him as it clung and held; her own eyes

widening as she was pulled back, body much

closer than before until he could smell her hair

and the universe itself narrowed dangerously.

She watched a half-earnest, half-desperate

expression come into his eyes.

He would have done anything at that moment to

keep her there and have that feeling last a little longer.

He had only a few more seconds before that boundary

was crossed forever. Before recovery was impossible.

Before he stepped into a dynamic where protection was

impossible and confession was inevitable and he could

not bear that.

So he grabbed hold of his one chance to pretend and

leaned closer, impossibly close so that his breath

sent a strand of her hair back from her ear as he said,

"You're welcome."

Then he began to pull back. Letting their usual

dynamic stray for too long was playing with fire.

Time to resume the natural course of things.

But then she turned up her lovely face and broke

into a huge smile, meant only for him.

And he knew there had never been a boundary

in the first place.

And whatever protection he might have held by

pretending a boundary existed had just been

shattered.

His heart resumed turning. The world kept beating.

The sun kept singing and birds rose and set again.

The park's fountain crowded in with sound and the

sweet smell of her drifted away on the wind.

But his fingers stayed tangled in hers, palm pressed

deliciously to palm.

And his smile gave everything away.


	8. 8 Roommates

Quick Fics

#9. Roommates

Author: Nat-chan

Genre: Romance

Disclaimer: not mine not mine noooooot mine ;)

Author's Notes: inspired of course, entirely by dance music!

Beta: the lovely and amazing Alicia B.

* * *

Things I don't dare

Dare to speak of when you're near me

No no no…

Infernal "Ultimate Control"

* * *

Darien Chiba sat at his computer, bedroom door open, typing up organic chemistry notes until his eyes began to blur and water. Half-drunk cold coffee sat beside him with a half-eaten, long-ago stale sandwich. Various textbooks and notes littered the rest of the desk and his hair was stuck up on one side where he had run his hand through it for the fiftieth and final time.

It was Friday night. Mina, one of his roommates, had long ago headed out and mocked his anti-social behavior with her usual mixed-metaphor eloquence.

"All work and no play makes Darien a lull boy!" she chided delightfully (he wouldn't dream of correcting her). "Really, are you sure all this studying is going to reap you the most bang for your reward?"

He had merely smiled widely until she shook her head at him and walked away. She was a beautiful, lively girl with long blonde hair and a keen eye for flattering clothes. The mixed metaphors were just another charm in her easy, flirty nature.

But Darien thought of her only as a sister; an amusing, bubbly, highly blonde sister.

Darien made sure to keep a healthy distance between himself and the opposite sex. When he did date the girls were always the same: studious, usually uptight and neurotic study partners that were conservatively dressed mirrors of himself. It never lasted and he never minded. He was going to try for a double major and he didn't want any distractions.

Alas, Mina was not his only roommate and he really felt some kind of huge oversight had been performed on his housing arrangement. He lived with not one but TWO blondes and it was the second that tortured him; intruding into his late night study sessions in alarming fantasies that distracted and delighted him.

And on cue Serena sashayed by his door, pausing at the threshold to smile at his disheveled appearance. She knew only she and Mina saw him like this: messy, untucked and overtired.

Darien took her in with a wary but appreciative eye. She was dressed to go out dancing. She had on yet another flippy little dress that hugged and dipped in all the right places. Her earrings were long and dangly and accented her neck to great advantage and there were a variety of sparkly little things holding up her long hair in a sexy mass of curls from her hot rollers. She wore little ankle socks and sneakers though, so she could dance for longer. He always got a kick out of that.

She had bangles on each arm and was fixing one earring as she crossed the room to him, smelling fresh and lovely.

"Can you zip me up?" she asked innocently, turning around and giving him a view that made him blush. Where did she find these bras? He zipped her up quickly with shaking hands and she did a quick twirl for approval.

"What do you think? I really like this guy!" she gushed.

Serena, he reflected, thought of him only as a brother. A bookish, boring brother.

He smiled mildly at her. "You look great. If he doesn't say that, he's an idiot and you should dump your drink on him."

Personally, he rather liked the idea of her latest moron-date ending with a drink dumped on his head. Serena managed to dig up the most incredible, bleached out, incoherent wanks he had ever encountered.

"You always think I should dump my drink on them," she returned accurately.

"Yes well, dating is an art….which you turn into a disastrous though colourful mess."

"At least I date!" she retorted.

"I date!" he defended with amusement.

"You date? You mean you occasionally embark on a doomed-from-the-start 'meeting of minds' with some always-dressed-in-gray study partner? That doesn't count."

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Then your bleached out surfer rejects don't count either!" he mocked.

She looked taken aback and he groaned.

"This guy has a bleach job?"

Serena had the grace to blush and, looking down, mumbled, "And he's a surfer—but only in the summer! He's still taking his degree!"

"In what?"

"Er…..something to do with the arts….."

Darien just rolled his eyes. "Have a good time anyway."

She smiled and surveyed his books. "This junk looks so boring I could weep! And this is your date for Friday night?"

"Yes, well, it won't get drunk and grope me in some shadowy corner!" he teased, then, turning serious, he wagged his finger at her. "And if it did, I would knee it in the groin and come home EARLY!"

Serena rolled her eyes, he really was like an older brother, "Yes, yes, I'll be sure to remember that if any chemistry textbooks come-a-callin!"

She shook her head at him, hair clips winking in his desk lamplight and bangles tinkling as she shifted her feet, "You should come out some time!" she chided, but with a resigned air.

She headed out the door and called back teasingly, "You never know WHAT might happen if you do!"

That comment hung in the air, no doubt meant to inspire him with visions of dancing freely, chemistry forgotten, for many carefree hours like a "normal" university student. But instead Darien found himself imagining himself in that dim club with Serena, a few drinks and possibly dances with that fantastic dress later, cozying up in one of those forbidden, shadowy corners that he had so heartily warned her against.

You never know WHAT might happen……

He was extremely careful to hide his infatuation from the interfering Mina but it was really only a matter of time. That time came the next day in the kitchen as the two girls compared nights and Serena complained about her disastrous date, much to Darien's delight.

Mina was making her famous chocolate banana shakes in the blender they'd all pitched in for and soon all three of them were partaking as Darien took a study break.

"He was a total dud!" Serena complained. "I never want to hear about surfing again—or the word 'dude'!" she imitated him with real spirit and Mina and Darien both laughed.

"Well, mine was a dud, too," Mina sighed. "He drank too much and spent twenty minutes discussing my 'assets' in excruciating, unromantic detail. Then I left."

Serena patted her shoulder consolingly then turned to Darien. "And how was YOUR date with the textbooks?"

Darien smiled humorously over his shake. "Well, they kept me up late and mostly bored me to tears and at the end of the night, after all my efforts, they didn't put out at all."

Serena's mouth fell open in surprise at his joke and Mina laughed heartily.

It was only because Mina was looking at him anew that she really caught what happened next.

Serena stepped over casually and lifted her fingers to his mouth. "You've got chocolate on your chin!" She smiled and wiped it away with an innocent gesture.

She turned quickly to wipe her hand on the dish cloth and missed the look on Darien's face. But Mina saw it. And Darien saw that she saw. _Oh no_…..

Serena checked her watch, "Oh! Time for work! Ciao for now amigos!"

She disappeared out the door and Mina turned to wag her finger at him, "Oh oh oh, caught ya!"

Darien groaned and put his empty glass in the sink.

"I knew it!" she cried and he shook his head. "Why don't you ask her out?"

"Are you insane?"

"Are you?"

"Mina, she looks at me like an older brother."

"So change her mind!"

Darien just muttered under his breath and marched off.

But Mina was determined and that evening when they sat watching TV before Serena got home from work she concocted a plan. When she heard Serena's key in the door she grabbed Darien and shoved him behind their enormous drapes.

"Mina!" he hissed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to prove you wrong!" she whispered. "Now hide in here and shut up!"

He sighed and sat up on the windowsill. If she was determined to hear the truth from Serena at his expense, so be it. Perhaps hearing her crushing rejection firsthand would finally free him of this disturbing infatuation.

He listened to Serena's happy voice as she came to join Mina on the couch. "Hey girl! Where's Darien?"

"Library."

Serena laughed. "Shocking!"

They sat flipping channels together and chatting about school until Mina asked innocently, "So that surfer guy was a total loss?"

Serena moaned pitifully. "You have no idea! Seriously, I may give up! I have the worst luck with guys! Why can't I find anyone decent? I don't think my standards are so unreasonable!"

Mina chuckled. "Standards? And what are those? If you have them I'd say you compromise at least five with every new guy!"

Serena laughed. "True, true. Let's see: great sense of humour, easy to talk to, reasonable IQ (Mina laughed at this new amendment since Surfer Dude), big heart, and fun to be with."

"You forgot hot."

"Hot is not a standard darling, it's a given."

They both laughed and then Serena sighed and said, "I think I need to try dating someone totally different than the usual losers I manage to dig up. Someone with more going for them. Someone smarter."

"Someone like Darien?" Mina chimed.

Darien was glad he was sitting, but unhappy he could not subtly reach Mina to choke her or find anything heavy to throw at her.

"Darien?" Serena rolled his name of her tongue curiously. "Yeah right! Guys like him are never interested in me!"

Darien nearly fell off his perch on the windowsill. Was she kidding?

"And just why not?" Mina asked.

"Smart guys think I'm ditzy, Mina. They only like girls as intelligent as themselves."

"You're pretty smart I think," Mina said severely.

"Not book smart!" she retorted. "Have you seen the girls he dates?"

"He seems to have the same track record as you actually."

Serena laughed. "That's true."

"Would you say yes if he asked?" Mina asked seriously and Serena smiled.

"Of course I would! I had a huge crush on him when we first moved in, but I could tell he just thought of me like a sister."

Mina tsked her. "I think you're wrong."

"Oh really?"

"Only one way to find out," Mina said suggestively.

Now Darien's ears perked up. Was there going to be some kind of test? Wretchedly Mina was careful not to mention it.

Serena seemed to consider it, whatever it was.

"Alright, I'll try it," she decided and Darien felt his body run hot, then cold.

The two girls headed out after that, for cheesecake at the coffee shop downstairs, and Darien was a long time coming out of the drapes.

A few nights later, as Darien sat typing his term paper, Serena once again sashayed into the room and he swallowed hard.

"Zip me up please!" she commanded, turning around and giving him a tantalizing glimpse of her back and yet another colourful bra. Tonight's dress was violet and accented with beautiful feather earrings and a violet flower tucked into the curls of her hair. She smelled of that perfume she sometimes wore that made him crazy and turned to face him with a broad smile. She plugged her mp3 player into his speakers as she often did before going out, blasting him with some dance tune or another and dancing happily around his chair before heading out.

But tonight she pulled him up and told him, "Tonight, you're coming out with me!"

He looked surprised and when she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and tugged upwards he looked really surprised. She yanked it over his head as she chided, "This shirt won't do though!"

She reached for the buckle of his pants and he froze but she stopped and considered. "The pants are ok." Darien managed to exhale as she danced over to his closet and rummaged through his shirts.

Finally she pulled out a black t-shirt and turned back with a broad smile. "Perfect!" she announced and pulled it over his head. He got his arms through the sleeves and she tugged it and smoothed it with gentle, distracting hands.

Then she mussed up his hair, grabbed his hand, and pulled him out his door, past a grinning Mina and out the front door of the apartment.

He shot a reproachful look at Mina who just laughed at him.

"But my term paper!" He protested as she dragged him through the night towards the club.

"It can wait!"

He laughed and finally relaxed, teasing her, "But Serena, I'm not blonde."

"Nope."

"I don't surf either."

"I am aware of that."

"I don't think I've EVER said 'dude' and meant it."

"Points to you for that!"

"I don't dance!"

She made an irresistible half-pouty half-flirty face at him then, "You'll learn for me, won't you?"

She enjoyed the look on his face then and dragged him through the front door of the campus pup.

And some hours later, after dancing until his legs ached with Serena, Darien found his way into a shadowy corner with her to finally tangle his fingers in that incredible hair and kiss that always laughing mouth.

He made a mental note to buy Mina an entire cheesecake of thanks.


	9. 9 Shock

9. shock

a short by

the nat-chan

rated: mamoru may never recover G

disclaimer: only Nat-chan would traumitize Mamoru so.

genre: first season romance

* * *

The only thing Mamoru was ever to be truly grateful for that morning was the

fact that he hadn't been holding his coffee when he opened the newspaper.

Everything else was bullocks.

He had sleepily pulled in that morning paper, sat down at the kitchen table

and reached for his coffee when the big, bad, bold, black headline froze every neuron

and collapsed every synapse in his body. He was fairly sure the atoms in his

body simply ceased their vibrating and that his blood froze so severely it reached

absolute zero--the temperature at which all matter freezes as solid as stone.

Splashed across that paper was the headline: TUXEDO KAMEN'S SECRET LOVE!

with the sub headline: His love for Juuban student Tsukino Usagi revealed in our

exclusive interview!

WHAT? his brain managed. He was sure he was still sleeping but pinching,

showering, and finally phoning Motoki confirmed, this nightmare was real.

He finally managed to calm down enough to read the "interview" which claimed

their anonymous columnist had met up with Tuxedo Kamen BY HIS REQUEST

to do a one-on-one interview confessing his love for average citizen and student

Tsukino Usagi!

He read it in numbing disbelief as line after line of his private-most thoughts were

somehow captured and printed for all the world to see. How much he loved her,

how long he had loved her...his hands shook as he read.

In the article "he" claimed to be revealing his feelings to the public to show them

he was a regular person just like them, trying to fight for justice and dealing while

the same emotions and situations as everyone else in Tokyo.

He blew out a breath as he put it down. Were they kidding? He was the farthest

thing from an average person with average feelings! And now they had ruined

his life! This anonymous source had ruined his life! Who was this person? He

looked around his apartment suspiciously. How had they found out? He'd never

breathed a word to another soul alive--especially as Tuxedo Kamen!

No one knew! Least of all Usagi.

Usagi...

He sat up as though he'd been sent an electric shock! USAGI! What would she say

when she saw it? What would she do! What would HE do?

He took off like a shot for the arcade. He had to get there before she did! It was

Saturday, she'd be there to play videogames. He'd hide in a booth and gauge her reaction!

In the arcade, the girls sat at the booth waiting for Usagi as well.

Makoto looked wearily at the article again. "I don't know if this was such

a good idea, Rei."

"Are you kidding?" snapped Rei, regarding her handiwork with admiration.

"It's the best thing to do with our new information!"

Mina nodded vigorously.

Ami put her head in her hands. "This was SO not what I intended when

I told you guys what the computer said!"

"Just wait," said Mina confidently, "Mamoru's going to come wildly

through that door any minute to see what Usagi does!"

Ami and Makoto had already privately conferred on the strangeness of

Rei and Mina hatching a matchmaking scheme together. They were

polar opposites, yet both had had the same first thought when Ami's computer

revealed that Tuxedo Kamen was none other than Chiba Mamoru.

True to form, an extremely agitated, exposed, and rather anguished looking

Chiba Mamoru came in moments later and slinked away to a booth to hide

with his coffee.

Motoki followed him over carrying the paper and eagerly said, "Hey pal,

did you SEE this yet? What a shocker!"

Even Mako couldn't help but laugh at the sound of Mamoru choking on his

coffee.

But then Usagi entered and all conversation came to an abrupt standstill. The girls'

eyes were all riveted to her face and Mamoru had done a 360 in his booth seat so that

his blue eyes peeked over the top at her from his booth in the far corner.

Usagi seemed utterly oblivious and waved to Motoki, whose mouth was hanging open,

and then skipped over to the girls.

"Uhh...Usagi-chan, did you see the paper this morning?" Makoto asked quietly.

Mamoru was slinking from booth to booth now until he was hidden in the one next to theirs, ear pressed eagerly against the vinyl to hear the details.

"Are you kidding?" Usagi said scornfully, "Who wants to read the boring old news?

Except maybe Mamoru-baka!"

"I think today's will interest you," Rei said with smug satisfaction.

Usagi's face lit up, "AIEEEEEEE are they finally making a live-action Sailor V movie?

I knew it!"

Ami put her head in her hands again and Mina passed Usagi the paper, unfolding that

big, bad, black, bold headline for her to read.

Usagi fell silent and took the paper from Mina very slowly as she read.

She was quiet for so long that Rei finally barked, "SAY SOMETHING ODANGO

BRAINS!"

Mamoru, who had been straining his last ear fibre to hear jumped and smashed his shin on the

table, making a pained face but refusing to utter a sound lest he give himself away.

Motoki, watching him, simply shook his head. His interest in Usagi's reaction gave him away

better than even the dazed, happy look on his face after she'd yelled at him had in the past.

"I...I don't understand," Usagi finally said quietly, "He doesn't even know me..."

Mamoru blanched. It was true. As Tuxedo Kamen he really didn't. What on earth was goin on here? His mind finally cleared and that calculating intelligence that made him a straight-A student kicked in.

Whoever was behind this probably knew that...

He was never to finish that thought because Usagi delivered his second, life-altering shock of the day.

"He's only ever met me as Sailor Moon!"

There was a sudden rustle as four hands tried to clap over Usagi's mouth and Rei leapt up, peering over each booth to make sure no one heard. Mamoru had to crawl under the table and hide. Then he stayed there as wave after wave of shock rushed over him. He didn't think he could take much more.

Usagi was Sailor Moon. Usagi was Sailor Moon. It just wouldn't sink in.

It was a while before the rest of the girls as the scouts came to him and after that he got really paranoid and decided Motoki might just look like Jadeite...

It was only Usagi continuing to speak that made him crawl back up into the boothbench to hear more.

"It doesn't make any sense..."

"Who CARES about what sense it makes?" Rei bellowed, "The question is, do you love him back?"

"Well...I mean I did, you know I did, for a while..."

"And now?" Mina asked knowingly, smiling at the four inches of tell-tale green blazer peeping

around the booth next to theirs.

"Now...I can't feel that way anymore for him...you know why...please don't make me say it."

She had gone quite white, eyes still reading that article in shock.

"Uh-un Odango-head!" Rei said. "You were MADLY in love with Tuxedo Kamen, this news should

be a dream come true! Who could you possibly love more than HIM? He's perfect!"

Usagi's voice was getting smaller and smaller.

"Rei-chan please...you already know who...even though it's hopeless I couldn't possibly lead on Tuxedo Kamen knowing my true feelings."

"True feelings for WHO?" Mina prodded.

Mamoru felt his heart crumbling in his chest. She loved someone else. He had to know who. He had to hear the name so that he was utterly destroyed and he could believe it enough to take his shattered feelings away forever.

But then he received his third and final shock of the day and this one finally did him in.

Usagi finally lost her temper and blurted out, "WHY ARE YOU ALL TORTURING ME? YOU ALREADY KNOW IT'S MAMORU-BAKA!"

And his heart instead of crumbling exploded in his chest. He fell out of the booth with a noisy thud as he yelled, "WHAT?"

A trembling, wide-eyed Usagi appeared moments later in his line of sight, staring aghast at him. His own mouth hung open as he stared back.

She looked like her life was over and turned on her heel to run out of the arcade.

Mamoru reacted a long moment later, jumping up and turning to face the four staring girls. He looked to that article sitting on the table and shot Rei a very dark look, "Somehow, someday, I will get you back for this!" he promised.

Then he ran out of the arcade after Usagi.

Usagi who loved him! She loved him! She loved him in every identity!

She hadn't made it far and he overtook her in the park, catching her by the arm and spinning her tearful face around.

"Baka! You heard everything didn't you?" she wailed.

"I did," he told her honestly.

She hung her head as more tears fell, collapsing on the bench she had run to.

"Don't cry," he said gently, then knelt down so that they were eye to eye and tucked a rose in her hand. She gasped as he seemed to summon it from the air. He waited for the meaning of that to sink in before saying quietly, "That article is false. I never did any interview."

Her hands shook as she clutched that rose.

"It was never Tuxedo Kamen that loved you, he never knew who you really were. It was me. I loved you."

Her last sob huffed into a laugh as her expression turned from sadness to joy with that swiftness only she could pull-off.

"Baka," she chided, "you love me too?"

He didn't get in much of a nod before she had thrown herself bodily into his arms. He almost lost his balance but caught her and kissed her instead.

The next morning Rei and Mina sat over steaming drinks in the arcade smugly discussing their victory.

"Mamoru-baka can threaten me all he wants," Rei said recklessly, "It was for his own good!"

Moments later the paper was delivered and Rei's mouth dropped open at the big, bad, black, bold heading that read "SHRINE PRIESTESS DECLARES LOVE FOR STRUGGLING MUSICIAN!" with the sub headline "Hino Rei tells all in our exclusive interview!"


	10. 10 Dare

#10. Dare

A Quick Fic by:

The nat-chan

Rated: truth or dare G?

Disclaimer: I can never really be done with Truth or Dare in the fanfiction realm…..it's the pandora's box of writing…….p.s. Sailor Moon is not mine.

Beta: Alicia the fantastic Blade

Author's Notes: This was originally one of the hundreds of little float-y bits in my head for some as-of-yet unwritten novel……but I suddenly realized, it might just make a great drabble!

I have also amended the ending and will dedicate it to Alicia who wrote "A one line kiss description? Nooooooooo." Many lines now, and a twist ;)

* * *

By the time Serena came into the Crown Arcade, the girls had roped both Andrew AND Darien into the game. It was a new game that Rei and Mina had bought together in sudden excitement and now they were all huddled in a booth, rolling dice, choosing cards, and whispering to each other.

They all turned to see Serena and Mina shrieked in delight.

"Serena you HAVE to come play this AWESOME new game with us!"

Serena walked gamely over. "What kind of game is it?"

"It's called Extreme Dare! You roll, draw a card depending on how high you roll, and if you take the dare you get to move forward!"

Serena regarded the various color-coded stacks of cards.

"Blue cards are if you roll 1 or 2; they're mild dares. Yellow cards are for 3 or 4 and red cards are for 5 or 6," Rei explained.

"No one's rolled an extreme dare yet!" Mina chirped.

"You wanna play?" Lita asked with devilish eyes.

Serena shifted uncomfortably. "I dunno. Dares make me nervous."

"Come on Meatball Brains, join in!" Rei barked.

"Don't force her, guys!" Andrew said, trying to keep the peace as Serena's eyes narrowed.

"What's the matter Meatballhead? _Scared_?" Darien taunted, unable to resist.

Serena fixed him with her most hateful glare and bought into his taunting, hook, line, and sinker.

"Of course not, Jerk! It's YOU who should be frightened when I pull a card that says 'Beat your arch nemesis to a pulp if he HAPPENS to be present.'"

Darien laughed. "More likely YOU'LL pull a card that says 'If you have ridiculous hair, go back three spaces!'"

"Better hope there isn't a card like that for ugly jackets then," she muttered and his smile faded as he regarded his green jacket with a frown.

She settled in after that and everyone took their next turn as she watched. Andrew seemed to be getting the sweetest deal out of it. He'd already been kissed by Mina AND Lita. Serena rolled her eyes as she suddenly realized why he'd agreed to play.

Ami was almost as far back as Serena after refusing to flash the nearest boy her underwear, and, surprisingly, refusing to explain in detail how far she had gone with a boy.

Andrew played with real spirit and dutifully told the next three customers he was a crazy monkey.

Darien pulled his card and read with a smile, "Is there anyone at the table with black hair?" watching Rei blanche as he slowly moved toward her. At the last moment though, he ducked down, lifted her shirt and gave her tummy a raspberry as she screamed first in terror then in ticklish delight.

Everyone laughed so hard they didn't notice that Serena did not.

She was next and Darien watched her with interest as she rolled the dice. No one had pulled anything but blue and yellow cards yet. So of course Serena rolled a six and pulled a red card. She read it with a surprisingly steady voice.

"Kiss the person present who likes you the least….."

Darien stiffened as Andrew immediately looked to him with a grin of delighted irony.

"That's EASY!" Serena laughed and jumped up, fixing Darien with a decidedly feral grin. "And am I EVER going to make you PAY!"

She grabbed him around the neck, tilted his head back and planted her warm mouth on his at an angle that froze him where he sat. Where had she learned to KISS like this? She caught his top lip between her own and he forgot everything going on around him as a shock of pleasure ran through his whole body. She was kissing the daylights out of him, thinking it was quite an appropriate punishment since he hated her when he suddenly hooked his arms around her and proceeded to prove that in fact, he didn't hate her at all.

The rest of the group exchanged glances and headed for the bar to drink milkshakes and leave them to it.

Amy leaned over to Rei and said quietly, "How did you know she'd roll high?"

Rei grinned and held up a yellow card and a blue card, "I didn't, I made one card in each colour just in case."

And how easy had it been to slip that card on top while Serena fumed over Darien giving her a raspberry? Too easy.

Lita and Mina patted her on the back, "Well done I say!"

Then Rei's expression darkened, "Let's never tell them."

Everyone looked afraid, "No never."


	11. 11 Memory

#11. Memory

A drabble by: the nat-chan

Rated: shockingly, R season G!

Disclaimer: Naoko would never have made it this easy ;)

Author's Notes: I can't believe this idea never came to me before! I've been so blinded by my love for first season that I failed to notice such possibilities with other seasons!

Beta: Alicia B (the "B" is for Beta!)

This is set at the beginning of the doom tree series, when Serena is the only one who remembers everything and has rushed to Darien assuming he remembers too. Alas he does not…..but what if he had reacted differently to her claims?

* * *

No, I know I won't forget you

But I'll forget myself

elbow "Forget Myself"

* * *

Darien's longtime physician stared across the desk at him. He had taken off his reading glasses and stopped taking notes halfway through his patient's speech and now sat, hands folded together in a perplexed pyramid, trying to believe that it was Darien Shields who had just said that mouthful.

Darien sat gazing earnestly back at him, waiting for an answer.

"So this girl claims you were in love with her, but you've forgotten?"

Darien nodded emphatically.

"And that you were in love in another life a thousand years ago?"

Darien nodded again.

"And you believe her?"

Darien finally relaxed back into the young man his doctor remembered. "I know it sounds crazy, and it probably is, but….I forgot my parents. What if I forgot this too?"

His doctor nodded. "You thought maybe there was some leftover condition from the crash that makes you prone to forgetting? Is that what you wanted me to check for?"

Darien nodded and his doctor smiled. "Darien, you're perfectly healthy. Your amnesia is a very severe kind but it cannot branch out to affect other parts of the brain and erase other memories; that's not the way amnesia works."

Darien nodded slowly, reluctantly, and gave himself away.

"What should I do then, about this girl?"

His doctor gave a low laugh. "You like her then?"

Darien looked embarrassed. "She's…interesting."

"What does she want you to do? What does she think will help you remember?"

Darien shrugged. "I don't know. She's always running up and talking to me about it but I usually high-tail it away as fast as my legs will carry me!"

His doctor laughed again, "Well, if she interests you, I guess my professional suggestion is that you go along with her and see where it leads you. If she just so happens to be right, surrounding you with familiar things might help."

Darien smiled. This was why he loved his family doctor.

"Thanks!" he said and scooted out.

Many hours later, Serena was in his apartment, standing impatiently in front of his couch as he sat watching her through half-hooded, terribly amused eyes.

"Ok, well, how about these roses?" she said, stuffing an armful of sweet smelling roses in his face and making him inhale deeply several times.

"Ring a bell?" she prompted. "Anything?"

He shook his head.

"Maybe try throwing them—like this!"

She tossed one like a dart and it lodged between two CD's on his shelf before tipping over and landing on the floor. He threw a couple and was a little surprised at his aim, but nothing more.

She'd already dragged him to the arcade, but he couldn't remember being there with her. Then she'd taken him back to his place and made him try on a black tuxedo—he had no idea why.

He enjoyed watching her flit about though. She certainly had a lot of energy, and very strange hair. But there was something earnest and sincere in her face that made him deep-down kind of want tobelieve her.

"How about this jacket?" she said, holding up a green blazer.

He cringed. "Are you saying I used to wear that?"

She laughed. "It was your favorite!"

He shook his head in horror and she smiled. "Whoopie! I hope you NEVER remember the jacket then!"

She looked in her bag but apparently she had exhausted all the possibilities. She sat down beside him with a sigh. "You really don't remember my hair? Or calling me Meatballhead?"

He chuckled again at the nickname but shook his head. "Nope, nothing."

She was thoughtful and quiet for a long moment and didn't meet his eyes as she said, "There's only one more thing I can think of…"

"What's that?" he asked when she didn't finish her thought.

She suddenly leaned over, caught him about the neck and shoulders and kissed him. It was a lovely kiss, warm and sweet and he found himself in no hurry to end it. When she pulled away he looked quite dreamy and she smiled hopefully. "Do you remember anything?"

He shook his head and smiled at her. "No, but I really, really want to now!" he replied and she had to laugh.


End file.
